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The Plot Against Marlene Dietrich
Written as filmic treatment, The Plot Against Marlene Dietrich is a short story of mystery, romance, and German intrigue on the eve of World War II. Alex Rada is on the case again. This time determined to find the perpetrators of the final plot against the great Marlene Dietrich. Historical fiction woven against the background of race and ethnicity that evokes the gritty feel of 1930’s New York, and of romantic Hollywood.
36 pages
First published June 25, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 20, 2011
Henry Mazel brilliantly melds the glitz and the glamour of old Hollywood with the grit and the grime of the harsh New York Streets. He weaves a tale of intrigue, murder and suspense that would have made Sam Spade proud. His prose brings to life the embattled feelings of an sardonic detective who has seen too much, but still has a hint of human vulnerability.
The marvel is the intricate plot, that seems to me, to be historically accurate and meticulously researched. The protagonist, Alex Rada, is the iconic hardboiled detective who maintains an even strain on the outside, yet seethes with an inner emotion. The backdrop here is of a time of glitz in Hollywood, the grime of noir New York, and the Jim Crow mentality that existed in both.
This is a splendid and well thought out piece.My only complaint is I wish it were longer; I would have like to spend more time with these characters.
The marvel is the intricate plot, that seems to me, to be historically accurate and meticulously researched. The protagonist, Alex Rada, is the iconic hardboiled detective who maintains an even strain on the outside, yet seethes with an inner emotion. The backdrop here is of a time of glitz in Hollywood, the grime of noir New York, and the Jim Crow mentality that existed in both.
This is a splendid and well thought out piece.My only complaint is I wish it were longer; I would have like to spend more time with these characters.
December 26, 2011
Beautifully written, it creates a mood, very evocative of the period. The style is very much like the lovely cover, smokey and mysterious. I don't read a lot of hard-boiled detective stories, but this one was based on some little known history about Dietrich and other famous people, which I found very interesting. I was moved to read more, on the author's blog, about Dietrich's brave stance against the Nazis. The book is short, about thirty pages, but it lingered in my mind far longer than many works of greater length. Definitely worth reading.
October 15, 2011
Decided to read this on a whim - I usually steer clear of fictionalised accounts of Marlene Dietrich as she is my favourite actress, but it was only 33 pages long and I needed something to fill time. I can't say I regret it, the style was wonderful, and the author included a lot of Marlene's mannerisms into the story, her external persona of course, because it would be unlikely that the characters in the story ever got to see her private persona.
A little gem indeed. :)
A little gem indeed. :)
October 22, 2012
The author sent me this book about a year ago. Honestly, I had to google to find out who Marlene Dietrich was so you know where I'm coming from with this review. I picked it up, wanting something short and easy to read, thinking it would be a great noir story with some mystery. Instead, I found myself a little bored and waiting for it to be over.
It's not a horrible short story by any means, but the problem is that the author tries too hard to introduce too many elements into too little space. We're given some random Hitler meeting which doesn't really DO anything with the story but add a few paragraphs. There's a romance that seems too contrived without enough true information or insight into the characters themselves.
From reading on Ms. Dietrich, the author does seem to do well capturing who she was and her ways of speaking/doing, but the fiction part of this historical fiction book needs either paring down or fleshing out. It just didn't do anything for me, except perhaps make me want to read a biography about Dietrich.
Recommended for die hard Marlene Dietrich fans, perhaps.
It's not a horrible short story by any means, but the problem is that the author tries too hard to introduce too many elements into too little space. We're given some random Hitler meeting which doesn't really DO anything with the story but add a few paragraphs. There's a romance that seems too contrived without enough true information or insight into the characters themselves.
From reading on Ms. Dietrich, the author does seem to do well capturing who she was and her ways of speaking/doing, but the fiction part of this historical fiction book needs either paring down or fleshing out. It just didn't do anything for me, except perhaps make me want to read a biography about Dietrich.
Recommended for die hard Marlene Dietrich fans, perhaps.
December 17, 2011
PLEASE NOTE: THE PLOT AGAINST MARLENE DIETRICH IS AN EXTENDED SHORT STORY RATHER THAN A NOVELLA.
October 19, 2011
Too short of a book. Not enough description of characters or plot. Very disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews